Station-indicatofl



` (No Model.)

-. W. R. GARNBR.

,STATIONINDIGATOR. v

Patented-Nov. 16, 1897.V

Attorney- 5o backward'direction by human agency.

l UNITED STATES PATENT .OEEICE.

WILLIAM n. GARNER, or GAI` .vEs'ro`N, TEXAS, A -ssIGNon To iarrrLE '.I. HUNTER, 0F yoovINe'IoIv,.Kmq-Tueur..

STATION-INDICATOR..

SPECIFICATION forming 0f Letters Patent N0. 593,976,dat ed November v16, 1897.

I Application filed N ovembervll, 189.6- sel'il N0- 611698- (Ngmdl mat-ic Station-Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

' The several features of myinyention and' the various` advantages resulting from their use conjointly or otherwise will -be apparent from the following description and claims.

In the accompanying 'part of this specification,v and in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a 4rear view of the said invention lwhen thel back of the chamber has been removed. Fig. 3 is an end elevation, enlarged, of that. end of the chamber which is at the right hand in Fig. 2, and showing both -of the sprocketwheels in engagement withf the sprocket indicatorchain Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section of the device,taken -in the plane of the dotted 1ine4 4:l of Figs. 1 and 2, that face of the section being shown which faces toward the' right in Fig. 2" and toward the left.

in Fig. 1. Fig.g5 is a view i-n perspective of the sprocket-wheel,

. located at the, right-.hand end of the box or chamherin'Fig. 2. A indicates the box orchamber, having the roof B, front side B2, rear side B3, and bottom B4 and provided with ends C C. The front of the chamber is open, except as closed vby the'movable curtain or displayLstI-ip D. This display-strip lls the entirefront or substantially the entire front of the ehamberand ers.- E' is a large positive roller jonrnaled in' the lower rear part of the shaft E, b'y which it is actuated, projecting through the adjacent side C ofthe chamber and fixed to a ratchetwheel F and to a sprocket-wheel G. The-ratchet-wheel is providedwith a pasvl F2, pivoted Aat Fito the end of the chamber. Its function is toprevent the roller from .moving in a .reverse until intentionally lifted drawings, making.

ratchet-wheel, and pawl.-

moves in connection with the following rollthe chamber and having vstrip D is fastened-fon the roller-E and` is con- 4v tinued forward and around an idler H, thence up infront of the'pen portion of the compartment, in which space it is displayed to.'

-view, andat the' upper front corner of the chamber passes around another idler-roller I,

and thence passes .rearward and around a spring-roller J. This spring-roller J is preferably made zupon a planof construction similar to that used in theordinary spring-roller curtains now inuse; butany suitable mode of causing it'to revolve strongly in a given direction, so as to roll` up the strip Dupon it as'fast'as permitted and to elastically resist the unrolling fof the strip D from it, may lbe Vemployed.

The sprocket strap K engages with the sprocketwheel Gand also with another sprocket-wheel H, fixed at some-suitable point' wit-hin reach of the motorman or conductor or other person operating thestaton-indica.-

tor, as the case may be. .fl-'his strap K (a A small portion of which is shown' enlarged in Fig. 2 below that portion of it which is attached to the sprocket-wheel G in Fig. 9T has marked upon 'it at proper intervalsthe namesv of the'stations in their proper order of sequence and corresponding in number and 8o f -identity to those marked in large letters upon the strip D. ft,

The Inode in which this apparatus operates is as follows: At the begiil of the curtain or displaystrip is unwound oi the roller E and wound up-ton roller J, with the exception,

rollers H I tothe s pringu'oller J. Itv the proper name is displayed .upon the display. 9

ning of the trip all' of course, et, the portion thatis stretchedlv from roller E around the idler-` the, station -next to be reached into As the necessity arises for the the station about to be reached reo the operator moves the sprocket-chain I-I soy `One" end of the displayev as to bring this name' of the strap to a given.-

point, and the corresponding name will be -found displayed upon the indicating-strip D. This operation rolls the strip D gradusliy upon the roller E, and the strip is prevent-ed from being drawn back through the agency of the pawlFz, engaging the ratchet F and allowinglthe strip to be rolled upon the roller E, but .not to be unwound therefrom. The strip D- will not go backward and io willtliei'efore graduallyv display the indicating-names desired, the spring-roller J in the meantime keepingthe strip D taut. When all the stations have beensuccessively reached, the operator raises the pawl F2 and allows the i 5 spring-roller to act,whereupon the latter rolls the strip D upon itself and unwinds correspondingly from the `roller E, thereby placing the strip in a position ready for another trip of the car over the same tracks in the same zo direction.

This station-indicator may be used at night as well as by day, and in order to'render the stations marked on the strip conspicuous at night lights L are used, and these lights 2 5 are preferably electric ones, and preferably vincandescent lights. It-will be -understood thatthe sprocket display-strip is to be carried to any part of t-he car desired, while, on the other hand, the compartment Af'will be 3e located on the top of the car or in a conspicuous place on the car, and this conspicuous place will .frequently be altogether'zjput of reach of the operator. 2" l My invention is simple of construction, du-

rable, quite economical of cost, and very efficacious inaction and result. Its-advantages are quit-e obvious.

lVhat I claim as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1. In a machine for indicating stations, the `combination of the spring-roller J, displaystrip Dcontaining names of the stations successivel'y marked thereon, roller E having shaft E2 connected to a wheel positively operated by a pulley-band on which are marks or characters whereb the stations to be dis'- played by the strip are marked, substantjally as and for the purposes specified.

` 2. In a station-indicator, the combination of the spring-roller J, idler-rollers and roller Estrip Dconnecfed to rollers J and Eand made taut upon the idler-rollers, the roller haring shaft E, engaging pawl l1"2 fixed to the frame of the machine, and the wheels G fixed on the same shaft for positively operating the 5 5 rollerE', in combination with n ieansr whereby the rotation of the wheel G is in accordance with indicating-marks adjacent to and at the inspection of the operator, `substantially as and for the .purposes specified. 3. In anindicating-machine, the combination of the compartment, spring-roller J roller E, stri p D duly strained and arranged to move across the front of the chamber, and shaft Ef' of the roller, ratchet-wheel F arid sprocketwheel G mounted on said shaft, pawl F3 ofthe frame engaging the ratchet-wheel F, sprocketwheel strap K having stations marked thereo n co rrespondingto the indications as marked ojn the indicating-strip D and the sprocketwheel H combined with the endless strap K, rfsiubstantially'as and for the purposes speci- 4. The combination of the lantern box or case, Arectangular at bottom, and at its front 75 ,sind I'at'the'respective'front corners, and the s' ring-roller J, at the upier part of the case i5 rear of'idler H, and a isplay flexible sign or curtain stretched between rollers E and J, and in front of -and on' idler-s H and I, and v vthe lamps located in the space between the rolls E and H, 'and I and J, substantially as and forthe purposes specified.

WILLIAM R. GARNER. 

